摩根大通(JPMorgan)的首席执行官杰米•戴蒙最近在《纽约时报》(New York Times)上撰文,敦促雇主和立法者做出改变,让更多有犯罪记录的美国人找到能够挣钱的工作。他敦促商界领袖优先考虑招聘这些人,敦促立法者制定“改过自新”(“Clean Slate”)法案。
这两种变化都将显著改善有犯罪前科人员的处境。但还有一个让前科人员无法真正得到第二次机会的重要因素仍然没有得到解决:谷歌(Google)的搜索结果。
谷歌最近宣布,将组织一个项目为有犯罪记录的人提供就业准备培训。如果不是现实太讽刺,这个声明还会有点意思。虽然谷歌一再表示支持刑事司法改革,却没有采取任何行动来解决自己在这个问题中扮演的角色。
“卷入司法程序的人员”包括目前正在或曾经被监禁的人,甚至包括那些有任何一点司法记录的人,比如酒后驾车或未出庭。让我们看看具体数字,美国现在大约有230万人被监禁;另有440万人处于假释状态。还有数百万人受到的指控较小,不涉及监禁。
这些人在找工作(甚至住房)时,雇主会去谷歌上搜索他们过去的记录。大多数人都认为,做错了事就要承担后果。我不是要质疑犯罪的人是否应该受到惩罚。但是,如果一个人的犯罪记录会在谷歌上出现一辈子,这个等式的两端就不公平。
你知道吗?在美国,如果你宣布破产,10年后,在任何地方都找不到相关记录。然而,如果你过去曾经有任何犯罪记录,即便是持有大麻或开空头支票这一类轻微指控,这个过错就将永远保留在关于你的互联网搜索结果中。
因为谷歌的这种政策,致使已经向社会偿还了债务的人在申请工作时总是遭到拒绝,得不到第二次机会。超过90%的互联网搜索是通过谷歌完成的;这就导致有犯罪记录的人很难找到好工作,即使他们多年前就已经服完刑。将近一半的刑满释放人员在出狱的第一年没有任何收入,而即便有收入,收入中位数仅约为1万美元,这样的结果也就不足为奇了。
这种歧视也会让没有犯罪记录的人付出代价。前科人员找不到工作,无法获得有效收入,很有可能要依赖政府援助。他们也很有可能回到以前的生活方式,因为要想办法养活自己和家人。
看看美国的累犯率,这一点显而易见。出狱后三年内,超过三分之二的人会再次被捕。六年内,这个比例上升至近80%。
因为全美曾经有过犯罪记录的人员数量庞大,他们又被排除在劳动人口之外,造成了重大影响。美国的监禁率是全球最高的。在美国,每10万人中大约有698人曾经蹲过监狱,每名囚犯每年的平均花费是33274美元。算下来,监狱每年要花掉美国纳税人800亿美元。
想要解决这个问题,谷歌应该提供一种解决方案,可以在一定时间后从搜索结果中隐去前科人员的犯罪记录。这家搜索巨头应该与刑事司法机构合作,开发一个能够将犯罪严重性考虑在内的公平的系统。
第二次机会是美国的立国理念之一。现在是时候让理念成为现实,让数百万美国人真正拥有洗心革面的机会。(财富中文网)
布莱恩•汉密尔顿是Inmates to Entrepreneurs组织的创始人。他的工作是帮助被监禁的人自己创业,美国广播公司(ABC)的《自由企业》(Free Enterprise)节目每周都播出他的相关工作。
译者:Agatha
摩根大通(JPMorgan)的首席执行官杰米•戴蒙最近在《纽约时报》(New York Times)上撰文,敦促雇主和立法者做出改变,让更多有犯罪记录的美国人找到能够挣钱的工作。他敦促商界领袖优先考虑招聘这些人,敦促立法者制定“改过自新”(“Clean Slate”)法案。
这两种变化都将显著改善有犯罪前科人员的处境。但还有一个让前科人员无法真正得到第二次机会的重要因素仍然没有得到解决:谷歌(Google)的搜索结果。
谷歌最近宣布,将组织一个项目为有犯罪记录的人提供就业准备培训。如果不是现实太讽刺,这个声明还会有点意思。虽然谷歌一再表示支持刑事司法改革,却没有采取任何行动来解决自己在这个问题中扮演的角色。
“卷入司法程序的人员”包括目前正在或曾经被监禁的人,甚至包括那些有任何一点司法记录的人,比如酒后驾车或未出庭。让我们看看具体数字,美国现在大约有230万人被监禁;另有440万人处于假释状态。还有数百万人受到的指控较小,不涉及监禁。
这些人在找工作(甚至住房)时,雇主会去谷歌上搜索他们过去的记录。大多数人都认为,做错了事就要承担后果。我不是要质疑犯罪的人是否应该受到惩罚。但是,如果一个人的犯罪记录会在谷歌上出现一辈子,这个等式的两端就不公平。
你知道吗?在美国,如果你宣布破产,10年后,在任何地方都找不到相关记录。然而,如果你过去曾经有任何犯罪记录,即便是持有大麻或开空头支票这一类轻微指控,这个过错就将永远保留在关于你的互联网搜索结果中。
因为谷歌的这种政策,致使已经向社会偿还了债务的人在申请工作时总是遭到拒绝,得不到第二次机会。超过90%的互联网搜索是通过谷歌完成的;这就导致有犯罪记录的人很难找到好工作,即使他们多年前就已经服完刑。将近一半的刑满释放人员在出狱的第一年没有任何收入,而即便有收入,收入中位数仅约为1万美元,这样的结果也就不足为奇了。
这种歧视也会让没有犯罪记录的人付出代价。前科人员找不到工作,无法获得有效收入,很有可能要依赖政府援助。他们也很有可能回到以前的生活方式,因为要想办法养活自己和家人。
看看美国的累犯率,这一点显而易见。出狱后三年内,超过三分之二的人会再次被捕。六年内,这个比例上升至近80%。
因为全美曾经有过犯罪记录的人员数量庞大,他们又被排除在劳动人口之外,造成了重大影响。美国的监禁率是全球最高的。在美国,每10万人中大约有698人曾经蹲过监狱,每名囚犯每年的平均花费是33274美元。算下来,监狱每年要花掉美国纳税人800亿美元。
想要解决这个问题,谷歌应该提供一种解决方案,可以在一定时间后从搜索结果中隐去前科人员的犯罪记录。这家搜索巨头应该与刑事司法机构合作,开发一个能够将犯罪严重性考虑在内的公平的系统。
第二次机会是美国的立国理念之一。现在是时候让理念成为现实,让数百万美国人真正拥有洗心革面的机会。(财富中文网)
布莱恩•汉密尔顿是Inmates to Entrepreneurs组织的创始人。他的工作是帮助被监禁的人自己创业,美国广播公司(ABC)的《自由企业》(Free Enterprise)节目每周都播出他的相关工作。
译者:Agatha
JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon’s recent piece for the New York Times urges both employers and lawmakers to make changes that allow more Americans with criminal records to find gainful employment. He urges business leaders to prioritize second-chance hiring and lawmakers to pass Clean Slate legislation.
Both of these changes will significantly improve the situation for people with criminal histories. But one big factor that keeps people with criminal records from a real second chance is still not being addressed: Google’s search results.
Google recently announced a program that will provide job readiness training to people with criminal records. This announcement would be funny if the irony of it were not so serious. While Google has repeatedly stated its support for criminal justice reform, it has done nothing to address its own role in the problem.
The “judicially involved” are those who are currently in prison and those who have been in prison, and even those who have some kind of past record of any kind, such as a DUI or a failure to appear. For perspective, in the U.S., about 2.3 million people are incarcerated today; another 4.4 million are on parole. Many millions more have a smaller charge that did not involve incarceration.
When these people seek work (or even housing), employers do a quick Google search and find their past records. Most people agree that there should be consequences when you do something wrong. I am not here to question whether people who commit crimes should be punished. But unfairness enters the equation when someone’s record remains on Google in perpetuity.
Did you know that in the U.S., if you declare bankruptcy, after 10 years there is no record of this fact anywhere? Yet if you have anything on your past criminal record, even a smaller charge such as possession of marijuana or bouncing a check, this mistake remains in your Internet search results forever.
Due to Google’s policy, people who have already paid their debts to society are consistently denied a second chance when applying for jobs. More than 90% of Internet searches are done through Google; consequently, it is extremely difficult for people who have a criminal record to find good employment, even if it’s been years since their sentence ended. It is not surprising that just under half of people released from incarceration don’t have any earnings in their first year out, and those that do show median earnings of about $10,000.
This discrimination has costs for people without criminal records too. When people are out of work, they aren’t generating tax dollars and are more likely to rely on government assistance. They’re also more likely to fall back into their previous lifestyles as they try to figure out how to take care of themselves and their families.
This is evident when you look at recidivism rates in our country. Within three years of release from incarceration, more than two-thirds of former inmates are rearrested. Within six years, that number rises to nearly 80%.
With so many judicially involved people in the country, exclusion from the workforce has a major impact. The U.S. has the highest rate of incarceration in the world. Approximately 698 people per 100,000 are in prison, and the annual average cost per inmate in the U.S. is $33,274. In total, prisons and jails cost U.S. taxpayers $80 billion annually.
To solve this problem, Google should provide people with criminal records a way to expunge their record from search results after a given period of time. The search giant should work with criminal justice organizations to develop a fair system that incorporates the seriousness of the crime.
The second chance is one of America’s founding ideals. It’s time to make that ideal a reality for the millions of Americans who deserve a clean slate.
Brian Hamilton is the founder of Inmates to Entrepreneurs. His work helping people who were incarcerated start their own businesses is featured weekly on the ABC show Free Enterprise.